First day at new Franklin High School goes off without a hitch

FRANKLIN — From his office attached to the main entrance of the town’s new high school, principal Peter Light watched on Wednesday for some of the reactions from students as they streamed into the stately brick building for the first day of classes.

"Every person who comes into the building for the first time stops and it’s kind of a this-is-not-what-I-expected look," Light said. "I have yet to meet someone who would say that this place has not exceeded their expectations."

Despite a few hiccups, the first day at the new Franklin High School went as planned given the hectic and often furious preparations that preceded it.

While the school is largely complete, there remain several technology and maintenance projects. The demolition of the old school and construction of the athletic field will finish by July 2015.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority funded nearly 60 percent of the school. Franklin’s model school is one the largest the state has ever approved.

Now that the school has opened, the New England Association of Schools & College is expected to remove the FHS' accreditation warning status. In 2005, the school received the status based in large part on the condition of the former building.

Even after the many building committee meetings and tours she attended, Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski expressed amazement that a mere two years ago, on a sunny fall day, she and other school officials happily posed for photos holding shovels and wearing hardhats at the ceremonial groundbreaking.

"The school realizes our vision of what we wanted for the educational environment for our students," Sabolinski said.

Senior Justin Bates, a student government leader who helped transition classmates into the building, described the $103.5 million high school as "glorious."

The classes of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, a total of 1,729 students, are the first to experience the school’s 1,440-square-foot science labs and its 830-seat auditorium, 17,700-square-foot gymnasium and high-tech media center.

"They’re really impressive," said junior Emily Waite, a member of the student IT team.

Waite has been busy this summer helping install the technology at the school, a process that involved setting up myriad computers and running "miles and miles" of network cables. "Most everything is new," she said.

Every student has been assigned a Google Chromebook — affordable laptops — to use in class, Waite noted, saying it’s one of the things she’s been most excited about.

Bates and Waite, as well as the other members of the student-led transition teams, were integral in preparing the school for the first day, Light said.

"It was impressive work by a group of kids who were so enthusiastic and positive and willing to do all of the hard work behind the scenes to get the school up and running," he said. "That, to me, is really the most exciting thing: This is a place for the students, and we’re trying to create a culture where it’s led by the students, as well."

Page 2 of 2 - Being among the first students to graduate from the school, Bates said he has a responsibility to set an example to peers and encourage them to respect the building.

"Our class is just one of thousands that will use this school," he said.